


Fallin' Flower

by JinkookTrash



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Angst, Changlix (mentioned), Character Death, Depression, Florist Lee Minho, Flower Language, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I hate putting Archive warnings so the tags will have to do., I'm obsessed with hanahaki, I'm sorry..., Jeongin is everyone's baby, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of blood but not much, Mentions of homophobia (little), Minho's mom is love!!, Protect Han Jisung, Sad, SeungJin (implied), Sooni doongi dori debut, Sunshine Han, There'sSoManyVoices, Tried some humor, failed flirting, hurt/angst, jisung is whipped, lame puns, mentions of self harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:27:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24960799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinkookTrash/pseuds/JinkookTrash
Summary: Minho finds himself begrudgingly agreeing to work at the flower shop and he's ready to spend a very very long and boring time surrounded by tons of annoying earthlings as he looks after them and tries not to burn the whole place down along with him. He regrets ever accepting to this.Enter Han Jisung, the literal embodiment of sunshine, rainbows and noise pollution who takes on an entirely self proclaimed challenge, leaving Minho's world a little brighter and alot more flowery than the other had ever imagined possible.ORA Flower Shop AU- where Minho, who wants nothing to do with anyone or anything, is forced to work as a florist in absence of his mother.In barges Jisung with his bright, bold and boisterous personality tipping the scale of Minho's zero to none social life.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 244





	1. Hana~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyo Everyone!!  
> So this fic was basically an idea after talking with a friend of mine who loved to talk to me in the language of flower....  
> Also i listened to "Truth Untold" on repeat so there's that... 
> 
> Thank you 'ReminderAhjussi' for listening to my endless whining over this fic and Thank you 'WoojiYouBetrayerAss' for beta-reading this fic.... Thanks Mate😂👍
> 
> WARNING ⚠  
> Please read tags beforehand so that nothing that I've written ahead makes any of you uncomfortable or upset... I've tried to put tags for everything.
> 
> Okay then.... LETS GET STARTED!

**_._ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

_"_ _I_ _RIS YOU A GOOD MORNING!!!"_

Minho nearly jumped out of his skin as a loud voice pierced through the blissful silence of the morning. Turning around he was met with a wide eyed guy with the chubbiest cheeks that he's ever seen and innocent boyish features. Said boy was swimming in an oversized hoodie with a pale blue bucket hat pulled all the way down, close to his eyebrows.

Still in a state of mild shock, he watched as the stranger quickly look around the shop before fixing him with a questioning look. 

"Where's Mrs. Lee?"

His extremely smart response to the stranger was a single, "Huh?" _but hey don't judge!_ Its just been too long since he talked to someone new. 

The boy wildly gestured around with his hands, while rambling.

"You know the woman who wears flowy summer dresses and has a huge smile on her face with a smudge of dirt every now and then with how much she looks after her plants. _Ooh Oohh!_ She has a funny airy laugh which can make you laugh too and she makes the lamest of puns but they are too funny and I love listening to her talk about her lovely flowers but that's not the point."

Minho just stared at the blabbering boy with a blank face, too shocked to even form a word. This just seemed to make the other grow more restless as he exhaled deeply and said, 

"You know! The owner of this flower shop. Mrs. Lee?"

_Ofcourse he knew her!_ Finally getting his tongue back in action he replied,

"Yes and why are looking for her?" 

His tone was both curt and snappy but he could care less, this boy was creating too much noise at way too early hours. 

The boy didn't even bat an eyelash at his tone and placed his hands on his hip, pining Minho with what he assumed was a failed-flirty look. 

"Haven't seen you around pretty boy. You new here? Oh! you're wearing an apron! Do you work here? When did she even hire a worker? Oh wait did-"

Minho unceremoniously pressed his palm against the boy's mouth to shut him up. He was already having a hard time dealing with how things had turned out and really didn't need an additon to his pile of problems. 

"Will you shut up already!?"

He didn't have time to even feel sorry at his raised voice as he shrieked indignantly and pulled his hand back, which the boy had disgustingly licked! 

"What the actual fuck dude?!"

The other only giggled while skipping a few steps away, clearly knowing that keeping a safe distance from an angry looking Minho was in his best interest. 

"Hey! No need to go red bull on me pretty boy! I'm just worried why Mrs. Lee isn't here. She never called in sick before and she was always here when I came in."

Minho took a deep breath trying to calm himself down and not throttle the annoying kid in front of him. Yeah a kid, with soft puffy cheeks and slighty larger front teeth that made him look like a hamster or squirrel or maybe both with huge innocent eyes and yeah- _A kid_. 

"She won't be coming for a few days because of some family issue."

"What? Why? Is something wrong? Did her son get in trouble again? Or was it the cats? Oh man that boy is gonna be the death of her. She literally started sprouting grey hairs because of all the worrying she does for that brat!"

Mouth hanging open he stared at the boy who was talking about Minho like he personally knew him or something and _DID MOM SERIOUSLY COMPLAIN ABOUT HIM TO A COMPLETE STRANGER???_

"I am not a brat."

The boy just gave an incredulous laugh, 

"Ofcourse you're not! You're the pretty boy with these long eye lashes and sharp cat-like eyes and woah is your skin color for real, how is it so pale? Plus you've got such a toned body! Do you workout or something? You don't look like the florist type so why are you even here? Is it some sort of volunteer work?"

_Did the boy ever shutup?_ He massaged his temple feeling a raging headache building as the other kept talking and talking without stop. 

"How does she even deal with you?"

The other gave him cute puppy like eyes as he asked in a confused voice, 

"Who me?"

"Yes you dumbass!"

He flinched as the word left his mouth but the boy barely reacted to it.

"I don't know. Sometimes even i can't deal with myself and its such a pain in the ass cause it's not like i can walk away from myself because that's just impossible but then if i were to do a mind-body jutsu then maybe i could get away or- Why are you looking at me like you want to strangle me?"

Minho took one threatening step towards the boy.

"Because I am actually considering that."

The boy merely giggled at that,

"Homicidal much?"

He folded his arms and fixed the boy with a glare, 

"Chatterbox much?"

The boy just raised an amused brow at that and Minho felt his irritation grow ten folds.

"Touché."

He was about to ask the boy to fucking leave but he once again opened that annoying mouth of his. 

"Now you didn't tell me who you are beautiful?"

Minho scoffed, 

"I could ask the same. You practically barged into the shop and started rambling on and on about God knows what and can't you just calm down? What kind of drug are you on?"

He had already established that the boy was weird and didn't get fazed at his rudeness or he was just an amazing actor and hid it, but right now he didn't find it in himself to care. He was just so pissed off.

"You could've simply asked me my name pretty boy. No need to go all angsty on me. My name's Han Jisung. I live near here but i won't tell you my address in case you turn out to really be a murderer and decide that a cute boy is a nice prey- And _okay okay_ getting back to topic. I've been coming to this shop for over a month now and Mrs. Lee is my friend. _Stop judging me._ I can be friends with a middle aged woman! Now it's your turn."

Minho was amazed that the boy hadn't passed out after saying all that in just one breath. Was he even human? 

"You're sick."

"No I'm Han Jisung."

"I mean you're sick in the head!"

"How'd you find out??"

"Just take your medicine and get out."

The boy just snickered. 

"But you're my medicine baby~"

Minho scrunched his face in mild disgust at the cheesy comment. 

"Gross."

The boy gave a boisterous laugh pointing at Minho's face and slapping his other hand on his thigh. 

Unamsued he asked,

"Is there something on my face?"

The boy stopped laughing for enough time to give a reply before going back to it, 

"Yeah, beauty."

Minho was well and truly done with the boy's weird antics. 

"Just get out."

The boy immediately sobered up. 

"Okay okay sorry."

Minho shook his head pointing at the door. 

"Out."

The boy pouted as he crossed his arms.

"You're not even the owner."

With a smug grin Minho answered,

"Yeah but I'm the owner's son, the so called _'brat.'_ So like I said, Out."

He did a proud victory fist pump in his head at the gobsmacked look on the boy's face. The look turned into one of embarrassment as the boy's cheeks turned a light pink and Minho fought down a smile. _The boy was kinda cute._

The boy aka Jisung spluttered some incoherent words before taking a 180° turn and bolting right out of the door leaving Minho surprisingly chuckling and amused. 

Throughout the day he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face as soon as he thought about his meeting with the annoying-chattery-squirrel boy. What he thought would be a deathly-boring day turned into a rather enjoyable one and somewhere in the hidden corners of his mind he wondered if he'd see the other again. 

**\-------------()()()()()-------------**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**CACTUSES AND GLONIXIAS**

Maybe it was because he had been hoping to meet the other that he didn't get as scared as before when a shrill voice rang through the previously quiet shop. 

"Hey bud! How's it growing."

He didn't even have to react at the lame greeting because the boy was already laughing at his own joke. 

"Did you get it? Bud? Growing? Aww come on! At least give me a smile you sourass."

He glared at the boy and turned around to get back to the work at hand, watering the damn plants. He hated doing such stuff, it was just his luck that his grandma got sick and his mom had to go back to their town to look after her. Leaving him incharge of her _precious flowers._ He huffed in exasperation. 

He was watering some cruel looking thorny green plants when the hyperactive boy bounded up to him, poking his head towards the atrocious greens. 

"Ooohhh these are some really nice looking cactus. Did you know they symbolize endurance with how they stubbornly grow even in the harsh environment with the blazing sun looking down on them and rain being scarce. It's really admirable how they overcome all the hardships thrown at them and grow from tiny little buds into these tough adult forms."

Minho wanted to tune out the boy's insistent rants but instead found himself listening to it. Even as he ignored the boy and walked around watering the other plants, his attention was on the words that left the boy's mouth. The way he talked about plants and flowers with such a passion, it reminded him of his mom who loved these beings dearly. No wonder both of them hung out and were _friends_.

It was when it suddenly got quiet that he stopped watering and turned around to look at the boy who was looking back at him with a questioning gaze.

"What?" 

That was his first word to the boy today, great. 

"I asked if you like flowers too? You know, like your mom does. She really adores them and talks about them like they're her kids, just the way she talks about you."

Minho scratched the back of his head,

"I'm not sure. Yeah they are pretty but i don't like _like_ them or anything."

Jisung gave a fake horrified gasp, 

"Monster! They're not just pretty! They are actual living things just like you and me and with family, friends and caretakers. They have feeling too and they also convey emotions!"

Minho just shruggged and turned around, not bothering to answer the boy. 

The water can fell out of his hand with a loud _'clang'_ as a pair of hands turned him around and he came face to face with a serious looking Jisung. _Well this was a first._

"What are-"

"Lee Minho, I'm going to make you love flowers and understand their worth! Even if it's the last thing I do."

The boy had such sincerity in his voice that he couldn't even give one of his normal witty comeback, rather he found himself staring deeply into those dark brown eyes with specks of light brown littered around making the orbs sparkle.

Clearing his throat after an unusually long silence he broke out of the other's hold on his shoulders and took a few much needed steps back mumbling a half-ass,

"Whatever."

The boy beamed at him before going back into a long ass story about flower, life and what not but this time Minho actually tuned the boy out and entirely focused on the job at hand. 

An hour or so later when the boy was making his way out, he stopped and turned around.

"Hey Pretty Boy!"

Minho poked his head out of the supply room with a questioning gaze. 

_"GLONIXIA!"_

And with a happy wave, the boy was out of the shop. Leaving Minho in a lighter mood yet again with a single word ringing through his head the entire day, _Gloinixia_.

**\---------()()()()()()----------**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**PANSY YOU AN AMARYLLIS**

This time Minho was prepared for the boisterous noise, not even batting an eyelash as Jisung sashayed into the shop, singing some old ballad at the top of his lungs.

His voice was actually pretty nice if not for the random high pitch squeaks he added.

Minho shook his head and folded his arms, glaring at the boy for a whole minute until the other finally took the hint and shut up with a cheeky grin plastered onto his face. 

He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed, "Why are you like this?"

"Like what?" Jisung asked with an innocent tilt of his head. 

"Like thiiisss!" Minho gestured towards the boy's whole body and the other snickered at that. 

"You mean handsome? Well the Han in handsome is for me."

Slowly blinking at the boy Minho gave him an unimpressed stare which successfully managed to sober up the boy if only for a few blessed minutes. 

"Okay Okay Mr. I'm-Too-Serious-For-This. So anything new? Did you learn the names i told you about in the last two days.... "

The boy had been coming in religiously every morning. Sometimes he'd even question Minho but mostly it was just him talking non-stop about flowers around the shop. Unlike the first time he hadn't thrown a random flower name without any explanation which kinda confused Minho but he'd be damned if he asked the boy about it upfront. 

Minho turned away from the boy not bothering to answer and went about his work of watering the flowers and cutting off the dead leaf edges. 

He felt the boy bouncing on his feet behind him as he came across some pretty colorful flowers that he'd gotten delivered just yesterday upon his mother's orders. 

"Ooh Ooh! You see these flowers with the heart shaped overlapping petals?? These are called pansies and they symbolize loving thoughts and admiration for someone. Isn't that beautiful? These flower have such vibrant range of colors and hey- Hey! Are you even listening??"

He ignored the boy and walked to the side, climbing up the ladder to reach the few pots on the top of the shelf. One was a little too far so he leaned to his right and tried to pour the water unfortunately losing his balance. 

The ladder suddenly wobbled under his feet and he yelped waiting for him to fall over and probably crack his skull open and splatter his brain but before his gruesome imagination could become reality there were cold hands gripping his thighs and stabilizing him. 

He looked down and met Jisung's worried gaze. Warmth crept up his neck and he was hyper aware of the feel of the other's cold slender fingers digging into his flesh which would definitely leave marks.

"Minho-ssi are you okay?"

Clearing his throat he shakily climbed down the ladder and avoided the other's gaze. 

"Y-Yeah umm fine."

Before the other could say or ask anything else Minho turned around and briskly walked to the storage room, locking the door behind him. 

His heart hammered inside his chest and he was painfully reminded of the last time he'd felt this way. The last time that someone had made his heart beat like crazy. The last time a touch had burned through his skin leaving it tingling. The last time-

He shook his head and mentally forced himself to not fall into the pit of darkness that he carefully kept locked away. What happened was a long time ago and didn't matter anymore.

After a few much needed deep breaths he walked out of the room and braced himself to face the chatterbox boy but, once out he found the shop empty. 

Checking behind the shelves he called out to the other, albeit in a low voice. 

"Annoying brat?"

"Chatterbox?"

"Flower-cyclopedia?"

.  
.

_"Han Jisung-ssi?"_

But there was no reply. _Did the other already leave?_

There was a bitter taste in his mouth which wasn't there before as he set out to finish his morning task. 

Trying his best to keep the unwanted thoughts of past as well as of the weird squirrel boy out of his head, he immersed himself in the job, working extra hard. 

Later on as he wiped the sweat off his forhead and made his way towards the counter he came across a piece of paper tucked under the telephone. Tentatively he picked it up, examining it.

In a wringey scribble and barely readable writing was a single word _Amaryllis._

Somehow that was enough to make his lips twitch with the urge to smile as he pocketed the paper and decided that he wasn't nearly as disappointed as he was an hour ago. 

**\------------()()()()()()--------------**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**UNICORN AND PEONIES**

Minho averted his gaze from the door as the boy came skipping into the shop, sing-songing a flirty.

"What's up buttercup~"

The boy looked fine if not a little tired with the dark eyebags and if Minho focused a little he'd see the hollowness of his previously filled cheeks but he was too busy sulking.

He ignored the boy and walked over to the little work station to try and make bouquets. 

He'd gotten two orders yesterday and had no idea if what he was doing was even right and if the flowers he'd picked matched the order intructions or not. 

"Hey!! Hellooooo? Fertilizer to Lee Minho. Soil to Lee Minho."

Jisung waved his hand in front of Minho's face but he ignored that too, sitting down on a stool with a small table having tons of colorful flowers thrown hastily on it. 

"Why are giving me the cold shoulder. I mean sure you're never welcoming to me but today you seem to be genuinely pissed off. Did I do something?"

The boy had dragged out another stool, taking a seat beside him. 

"Wait... Are you angry about me leaving without a goodbye??"

Something about his expression must've given him away since a loud nasally sound rang around the shop and he turned to glare at the laughing squirrel beside him. 

When the other didn't stop even with a mutilating glare fixed on him, Minho punched the other's arm. 

For a second he panicked, as the boy went rock still and quiet all of a sudden, his eyes going wide. He immediately started to apologize,

"I-"

"LEE MINHO! You attacked an unarmed civilian! I will have you reported and hung to death on trial! This is abuse! I demand justice! Your Honor this man here is a criminal of law and deserves punishment."

Minho blankly stared as the boy sprung out of his seat and went down on one knee, his arms spread wide in front of a potted plant with flowers having thickly lush and flaming pink petals.

When he didn't react to the boy, Jisung turned around and looked at him with his eyes squinted as he pointed a bony finger at Minho. 

"Any last words _Minho_."

Jisung was looking at him with such a sincere face that he had a hard time believing that all of this is just an act. The boy was being very realistically dramatic.

"It's hyung to you brat."

And just like that the act came to an abrupt end as the boy jumped up with a happy grin and did a little wiggling dance before looking back at the same flower.

"I take back my charges O'Flower King. He's innocent and too cute to be put to trial. Not to mention he has devilishly handsome looks which I'm unwilling to share with other prisoners."

Minho was a bit taken aback with the series of compliments but hid his light blush by turning away from the boy.

He couldn't help but ask, "Why's that plant the king?"

Jisung seemed too eager to answer as he plopped back down on the stool beside him. 

"See those glorius herbaceous flowers? They're Peonies and are called the King of Flowers. They symbolize romance, compassion and prosperity. They were used for medicinal purposes too which gave them alot or significance."

He was a tiny bit impressed by the new information but didn't show, not wanting the boy to get over his head. 

While he was momentarily distracted by the boy, his thumb pressed into something sharp making him hiss out in pain. 

"Ouch! Bitch!"

Minho quickly sucked his thumb as few drops of blood trickled from the prick. He glared at the rose in his hand and was about to crush it but then there wetr gentle fingers wrapping around his hand and taking the lethal flower out of his hold. 

"You're doing it wrong silly. Here let me show you."

Minho watched in amazement as Jisung swiftly and efficiently worked on the flowers. Cutting off the thorns before looping stems and doing some weird magic to them. The flowers bent to his will timidly and Minho was fascinated by the way Jisung was holding a beautiful bouque within merely minutes.

The way the colors contrasted as well as complimented each other was ethereal and he was sure that he wouldn't have been able to pull off this arrangement even if he'd worked the whole day. 

He looked up from the flowers to the boy and found the other already looking at him. 

"How did you do that?"

Jisung looked pleased as he tilted his head a little in fake confusion. 

"Do what?"

Minho gestured towards the bouquet. 

"This, the way you put all those different flowers together into one..... How?"

Jisung shrugged in response, his lips pulling up into a soft smile. 

"You'll get the hang of it too."

_Definitely Never gonna happen_. But he doesn't tell that to the boy. For some reason he didn't want that smile slipping off the boy's face. 

They were still staring into each others eyes when the bell suddenly chimed making Minho yelp and almost fall off his stool as he scrambled to his feet and ran towards the counter. 

Jisung just giggled and for a second Minho stopped and thought it sounded oddly melodic but he quickly shrugged it off instead focusing on the customer ahead. 

It took longer than usual but the customer left happily with two pots of some bushy plant which Minho had no idea about.

Tired after dealing with the customer he came back to the small table only to find no sign of Jisung yet again. 

He sighed and walked towards the bouquet which had been delicately placed on the table. Picking it up he found a new piece of paper with it, the writing uniquely of the cheeky squirrel. 

_"Mom called. Don't get sulky when you don't find me baby~"_

He sighed feeling slightly disappointed but quickly shrug it off and pocketed the note, bringing the bouquet to the counter. Atleast the boy had left a note this time. 

**\-----------()()()()()()()()------------**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**AZALEA**

Jisung doesn't come for the next three days and Minho feels a weird feeling in his gut. Something doesn't feel right and he comes to the not-so-surprising revelation that he's actually worried about the younger. 

Now that he thinks about it the boy hadn't been looking too good the last time he'd seen him, not to mention that he'd found drops of blood on the floor when he'd been cleaning up. He had dismissed it at that time but what if the younger had gotten hurt? 

Thoughts ran around his head and his natural tendency to lean towards pessimism didn't help so when he heard the familiar bells chiming at yet another ungodly morning hour he practically leapt towards the incomer.

He heaved a deep breath of relief when he came face to face with a very shocked squirrel. Gripping the other's shoulders he couldn't help but let his voice raise a few notes, 

"Where the hell were you Sungie?!"

The boy blinked a few times, his pupils dilating surprised at the sudden nickname. Minho gave the boy a once over looking for a broken arm or leg but found nothing other than the usual skinny boy hidden under a too-big sweater. 

His heart skipped when he saw the sweater paws instead of the boy's fingers but he forced his eyes back up. Pressing his fingers to the boy's head he checked for some kond of injury. 

He made to remove the boy's ever-present bucket hat but it was like an electric shock went through the boy who quickly ducked and grabbed Minho's hands to stop him. 

"Hyung what are you doing?"

Minho frowned but let his hands fall back down still held by the boy's bony fingers. 

"Are you hurt somewhere Sungie?"

Jisung shook his head and opened his mouth to say something but Minho beat him to it. 

"Then are you sick?"

Jisung went rigid in his hold for a second but then he laughed his obnoxious laugh and Minho's muscles relaxed.

"Hyung you're being wierd~"

Minho scoffed and took two steps away from the boy.

"Well you were MIA for three days! What did you expect me to think? Aliens invaded the Earth and picked off some random squirrel chittering from the street?"

Suddenly Jisung doubled over shaking and Minho became worried as he reached for the boy but then stopped as the heard the infectious laughter erupt from the boy. 

Jisung was laughing uncontrollably hard, a tear or two strolling down his cheeks at the older's words. 

Minho couldn't help but laugh along as he observed the laughing baby squirrel in front of him. 

As soon as Jisung got his breath back he squeaked a barely audible, 

"That was just ranunculous!!"

Minho scrunched his nose up at that and turned away from the boy, slapping a hand over his own forhead. 

"Why did I even bother."

"Heyyyy!"

The boy was again at his back, following him like a lost puppy as Minho set out to work his ass off yet again. He went about ignoring the boy, amused at the pout that the boy kept sending his way. 

"Prettyyyy boyy~~ Don't ignoreee me!"

When he still didn't reply the boy huffed, crossing his arms like a petulant child. 

"One second you're going all mother hen worried over me and the next you're ignoring me and walking around like I'm invisible. You're like the epitome of hot and cold! Can't you like decide up on one temperature. If you were the weather then I'm sure the flowers would've committed mass suicide with how much you fluctuate and OhMyGawd do you even hear me?! Even flowers-"

Jisung was cut mid rant when Minho suddenly stood up from the pots he had been checking and turned around. The older had a sharp look in his eyes as he started walking towards the boy and Jisung gulped, inching away until his back hit the shelf and he made a muffled sound. 

Minho had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he leaned forward and looked straight into Jisung's wide frantic eyes. The older brought up his hand tracing two fingers across Jisung's cheek, his face becoming concerned for a second before going back to smirking devilishly. 

"You should eat more babe~ I love seeing your cute squishy jeekies."

Jisung squeaked at that, his cheeks taking on a pink hue as he swatted at the older's chest. Minho let out an unreserved loud laughter as he moved away from him.

Jisung wanted to stay angry at the older but the way Minho's eyes had squinted while laughing and his teeth were showing was very distracting. 

Then the older turned away and went back to his work while Jisung stayed standing, his heart rate a little faster than it had been before. He was a little confused when Minho kept throwing him glances while giggling, not knowing why the older was doing that. 

Just then his phone rang and he snapped out his thoughts. He sighed as he read the caller ID and picked up the phone listening to whatever the other was saying. 

He whisper-yelled, "Okay ok- Yes I get it! Can you stop already?!"

Angrily he hung up and turned back to the older only to find him staring at him. He gulped and walked over to the other bending to look at the plants that the other was working on. 

"You know what these ar-"

"Jisung."

He stopped talking, taking a second longer to look at the older who was beside him. 

"Yes hyung?"

"What's wrong? Who was that on the call?"

Jisung unconsciously bit his botton lip in nervousness as he scrambled to find a believable excuse, coming back empty handed.

Giving up he decided to throw caution to hell and just be honest. 

"It was my mom..."

Minho gave him a patient look urging him to continue. 

"She wants me to come back."

Minho frowned at that, "Okay so why did you sound angry?"

Jisung huffed pulling at his sweaters hem,

"She's a nurse and she gets super protective over me when I get sick and then starts ordering me around. I know she's just worried about me but I really just want to live out my life without constantly letting the fear of sickness hang over my neck like an axe. I'll take medicine and whatever but that doesn't mean that I have to hole myself up in home, like come on! Live your life man!"

Minho chuckled at him before patting Jisung's head causing the boy to have a mini cardiac arrest. 

"You're such a baby."

Jisung pouted at that but didn't push away the older's soothing touch, "I'm not a baby! I'm a grown up!"

Minho gave him another pat, "Sure, you grown up baby!"

Before Jisung could start with his arguing his phone rang again but this time he ignored it.

"Jisung, go back home. Your mom must be worried and it's okay to rest up when you're sick, you've got to let your body heal itself."

Jisung didn't want to go away so he did what he knows best. He put on his best pout, jutting his lower lip out and clasped his hands in front of him. 

"Don't throw my out hyungiieee~"

Minho's face went blank and Jisung thought that the older was now gonna kick him out for sure but then the older huffed, running a hand through his hair. 

"What am I gonna do with you..."

Jisung beamed at the other, jumping up to hug the older who barely caught him with a surprised, "Woah!"

"Thank you thank you thank you Min Hyung!!"

Minho hovered his arms in the air hesitantly but then wrapped them around the boy more out of worry than affection as he noticed the coldness of the other's worryingly gaunt body.

"You really are sick Sungie. Did you take medicine before coming?"

Jisung hummed in approval as he nuzzled into the other's warm chest and surprisingly Minho let him.

The morning then continued like usual, the only exception was that Jisung was being more clingy than normal and for once Minho wasn't pushing the younger off. 

When it was time for the boy to leave he tugged at Minho's sleeve, asking for the others attention.

Leaning up to the older's ear Jisung whispered a single word before bouncing on his heels, giving the other a bright smile and then walking off with a light skip in his steps. 

Minho watched with a slightly dazed look and mumbled the word, _"Azalea."_

Shaking his head with a fond smile he walked back inside to work in silence which for some reason didn't feel as comforting as it used to be, not since a certain boy came crashing into the shop and his life. 

**\-------()()()()()()------**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**WEEDS AND ROSES**

The next day Jisung had come in stomping and fuming. It had been really amusing seeing the younger throw a tantrum and whine with alot of pouting to show how much upset the boy was, which instead looked extremely adorable if you asked Minho. 

After calming the rabid squirrel, Minho had found out that the reason for this whole show was because Jisung, after going back home last day had seen exactly why the older had laughed so much. Minho wasn't even fazed at the accusation as he giggled yet again by how worked up the cheeky boy was over Minho smudging mud on his face the previous day. 

Minho had shrugged at the boy's shock when he'd openly accepted about being to culprit behind it and then he had to fight off a very pissed off squirrel from his back. Apparently the mud had made Jisung's mom go on another long ass lecture about hygiene and what not and Jisung was _not_ happy to say the least. 

Even after two days the boy was still petty over the little prank as he came in singing or more like screeching in a shrill voice some old trot song.

Feeling his ears about to bleed, Minho yelled from where he was squatting at the ground,

"Will you please shut up! You sound like a pterodactyl!!"

Jisung gave him a scrutinizing look, "Takes one to know one. Bet its how you sound when you shower."

Minho huffed at that, feeling sweat trickle down his forhead. He'd been pulling out weeds and putting in fertilizer for almost an hour and was extremely tired after staying in that position for so long.

"Join me next time babe and we'll find out just how I sound."

He smirked when the younger spluttered at his reply, turning a dark shade of red. 

Turning back to his work he smiled when just as expected Jisung joined him on the ground after a few minutes of calming down. 

The boy didn't say anything even after sitting beside him for minutes which made Minho glance at the other in surprise but then it turned into a look of horror as he realized just why the younger was so oddly quiet. 

Jisung was staring at Minho's arms which were bare after he'd pulled up his sleeves so as to not cover them in dirt, he regretted doing that. Feeling conscious Minho quickly pulled down his sleeves uncaring of the muddy glove prints he left on his baby blue sweater as he shakily got to his feet. 

He waited for the boy to say something as he fixed his eyes on the ground. Thinking up of all of excuses that he could at the moment, he cleared his throat ready to deny anything the younger would say but then he was taken by surprise when he felt fingers push his chin up. He resisted the urge to flinch as he came face to face with the boy.

The finger then traced along his jawline upto his temple and he shuddered but before he could ask, the boy grinned and skipped a few steps away. 

"That's for dirtying my face!"

Minho blinked in confusion before realization hit him as he saw the boy's fingers caked in mud. 

"You-"

Jisung stuck his tongue out at him and turned away hautily as he walked towards the plants on the ground which Minho had been previously de-weeding. 

He watched as Jisung sat down and started mumbling something to the plants, curious he inched closer to hear the boy out. 

"-unfair like how can he even look good with mud on his face! Clearly the universe was playing favorites by giving him that perfectly sculpted face and flawless skin. Imagine having that face, if I had it then I'd be glued to my mirror for life! With that face he could stop traffic and cause accidents you know, that's so dangerous!"

Minho couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that escaped his lips and watched in amusement as Jisung gave him a withering glare. 

"It's not nice to eavesdrops you know."

Minho felt his face split into another genuine smile as he walked closer to the boy and patted his head. 

_"Cute."_

Jisung glared up at him but didn't move his head away, instead he leaned into the touch. Minho wished he could for once pet the boy's hair instead of his hat but Jisung was really insistent on wearing his infuriating bucket hats for some reason. 

"Hyung answer this. If I gave you eleven roses, what would you see in the mirror?"

Minho thought hard about it but couldn't come up with anything so shook his head.

Jisung's lips curled up into a smirk as he batted his eye lashes at the older before purring in a sultry voice, 

"A dozen roses~"

Minho stopped petting on Jisung's head, instead swatting at it before walking away from the boy with a groan. 

"You're unbelievable!"

Jisung just giggled, jumping to his feet to pester the older some more, 

"Aww~ Come on, it wasn't that bad."

Minho ignored the boy as he walked upto the customer that just came in, purposefully talking to them for longer than necessary. Just like he wanted Jisung became antsy and latched himself to Minho's arm as he whined in a low voice. 

"Don't ignore me~"

Minho just shrugged him off as he followed the customer towards the wall-climbers section. He turned around when he didn't feel Jisung behind him and suddenly the world stopped. He stared at the boy in state of shock, watching bright red blood trickle down Jisung's nose. 

The boy seemed to be aware of it too as he reached his hand up to touch it. Instantly Minho sprung in action and grabbed the boy, dragging him to the spare room. Making thr younger sit on the couch, he frantically looked around for tissues. 

The customer was long forgotten as he started dabbing the tissue at the blood all the while muttering curses under his breath. 

"I'm alright hyung. It happens sometimes, there's nothing to worry about."

He still continued on frantically as he pressed the tissue to the other's nose and pushed the boy to lie down on the couch as he ordered, 

"Don't you dare move."

Making sure the boy wouldn't move, he ran up the stairs to the attached apartment above to get ice for the younger. He was back within record time as he tried to treat the boy who had a very sad and unreadable expression on his face. 

Finally the bleeding stopped and Minho sighed, running his hands through his hair as he slumped on the ground.

Jisung was silent as he crawled down the couch, settling beside Minho. 

"Hyung are you alright?"

Minho chuckled at that, "You were the one bleeding Sungie."

Jisung shook his head, "I'm fine but you're not. Let's close the shop for today huh? You should go up, take the day off and rest."

Minho hummed in agreement and stood up, walking out of the spare room with Jisung following behind him till the stairs.

"I should leave now Hyung."

Minho glanced back at the younger, "You can stay some more."

"Nah, I think I'll go rest for today too. See you later?"

Minho reached forward and rubbed his hand on the younger's nape which elicited a soft noise from the boy.

"Of course."

And just like that Jisung was gone and Minho decided to sleep in, the morning had been especially hectic and he was emotionally, physically as well as mentally spent. It didn't come as a surprise when he went out like a light as soon as he hit the bed. 

**\---------()()()()()()()----------**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**ARUM**

He was still clutching the phone to his ear, long after his mom had hung up on him. His eyes prickled and he roughly rubbed his sleeves against them, his heart beating painfully loud as his breathing became erratic. 

He walked to the nearest bench and fell onto it, his ass hitting the hardwood with too much force. It was getting near to dark, the sky a beautiful shade of soft purple with orange and red hues all around. 

He had thought that maybe a walk in the park would clear his head since he'd been feeling anxious throughout the day but the opposite happened after a call from his mom. To add up to his misery even Jisung hadn't visited in the morning, that had been happening more frequently and he was slightly worried for the other. 

He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. 

"Hyung?"

He snapped his head up at the soft voice breaking the eery silence of the evening. 

There, standing under the warm glow of dusk was none other than Han Jisung. 

"J-Jisung?"

Hearing his choked voice the other quickly took place on the bench beside him. 

"Hyung are you alright? Are you hurt? Did something happen at the shop? Did someone-"

Jisung's mini rant got cut off as Minho let out a small wet chuckle. 

"Minho Hyung?"

Minho gave the other an amused look, "How'd you even find me? Did you place some tracker on me squirrel?"

Jisung pouted, crossing his arms in the most cutest way.

"I'm not a squirrel! And i don't need a tracker to find you," then he gave Minho a flirty wink. "Cause all of my roots lead upto you."

Minho scrunched his nose at that before swatting at the laughing boy. 

Jisung stopped laughing after a few seconds, fixing Minho with a serious look, 

"Hyung... What's wrong?"

Minho debated whether he should tell the boy or not. His mind telling him to not trust anyone and keep it to himself but his heart jumping at the opportunity to finally open up to someone. 

Before he could make his mind up there were fingers gently wrapping around his left arm and he flinched at that, looking sharply at the boy. 

Jisung's eyes were fixed on his arm as he slowly started to roll up Minho's sleeve giving the older enough time to pull back if he was not ready. 

There was a loud ringing in his ears and he watched in horror as Jisung finally finished removing his last layer of protection. He knew that he could've stoped the boy but for some reason he hadn't. 

Jisung traced along the jagged skin on his arm as he whispered,

"Has this got something to do with you crying here all alone?"

Minho was surprised at that as he struggled to find words. 

Jisung took his silence as a 'no' and he moved his gaze to Minho's face.

"Is it about your grandmother?"

At this Minho's brain short circuited and he went rod-still. He knew for a fact that he hadn't told Jisung about his grandma being sick and neither had his mom so that would mean that Jisung wasn't really talking about his grandma being sick. This would mean that maybe the boy knew about his past-

Minho snatched his arm out of the other's hold as he gave Jisung an angry betrayed look. 

"Mom told you about _that?!_ "

He couldn't believe that his own mother would sell him over juicy gossips with a stranger.

He moved to stand up but Jisung was faster as he threw himself at Minho, pining the older to the bench arm. 

"What the fu-"

Jisung had a desperate look in his eyes as his bony arms clutched at Minho's shoulders.

"She didn't tell me anything hyung!"

Minho scoffed at the boy. 

"Trust me. Please..."

He gave the boy a calculating look before forcing his muscles to relax and pushing the boy's hands off him. 

"Why'd you ask me that then?"

Jisung's eyes flickered from Minho to his own fingers which were pulling at the hem of his hoodie. 

"I-I uh... Your mom told me you guys lived with your grandmother in Gimpo but t-then something happened and she uh- She decided to move to Seoul with you."

Minho waited as the boy nervously wrung his fingers, occasionally cracking his knuckles. 

"She always worried about you and I-I just kinda put two and two together and then I saw your arm that day in the shop and I just connected the dots. Like why you're so closed off and push people away. Why you're always wearing that blank look and why you won't talk about yourself. This doesn't make much sense but i thought that maybe- ... maybe this had something to do with your grandmother."

Jisung finally looked up, his eyes holding complete sincerity as he breathed deeply.

"Your mom would never rat you out like that hyung."

Minho knew that the other was speaking the truth because firstly he trusted his mom alot and secondly the boy was a horrible liar.

Sighing, he made himself as comfortable he could on the hard bench before dropping his gaze. 

"You're right Sungie."

Jisung visibly sagged as Minho used the nickname that he'd recently given to him and took a long relieving breath.

"Do you want to talk about it Hyung? I mean obviously you don't have to cause I'm just a stranger and it's not like talking with me would give you any answers but I know for a fact that talking about your problems to people who care about you can be helpful and it also lightens your heart."

Minho raised an eyebrow at the other, "You care about me Sungie?"

Jisung looked baffled at that, 

"I'm not even surprised you pick out the most random of things from what I say but ofcourse I do Hyung!"

Minho smiled at that before looking back down. He couldn't look the boy in the eye if he was going to be spill his life out to him. It would be too embarrassing. 

"So uh- There was this boy that I really liked when I was in highschool-"

"Was he handsome?"

Minho gave the other an unimpressed look and Jisung made a zipping his lips- locking them and throwing the key gesture which strangely warmed Minho's chest. 

He decided to tell the overall story without going into details, it would be safer that way. 

"So like I was saying, there was a boy and he visisted the town for his summer vacation and I was for some reason attracted to him. I hadn't really dated anyone back then and wasn't sure about my preference either but there was something about him that piqued my interest. He seemed to like me too and we instantly hit it off."

He glanced at Jisung and was relieved to find the boy's undivided attention on him. Taking a deep breath he resumed. 

"Basically my grandma found out about it and became really furious. She believed that the boy had tricked me into it, not even letting me explain or say anything. She went to their home and created alot of fuss and even cursed at his parents for not raising his kid _right_."

Minho's head started hurting as the memories started coming back. He felt a cold familiar hand hold his own and looked down at their intertwined fingers. His warm one and Jisung's cold one. It somehow made his chest a little let suffocated and he continued with a lighter tone. 

"Long story short, the family moved out of town because they couldn't take the shame and I resented my grandma for that. I was happy with him but she'd ignored it in favor of her old beliefs and what not."

He looked at the boy directly, Jisung had a soft look in his eyes as he squeezed his hand and he started spilling his actual worries, all the while staring into the boy's deep brown eyes. 

"But that isn't the problem right now Sungie. I came to peace with what happened already and I don't hold anything against my grandma because I know she was just trying to protect me even though what she did ended up causing me more pain than anything.The thing is, I have forgiven her but I haven't told her that. I just can't bring myself to face her after years of staying away and now t-that-"

He cleared his throat at that, 

"N-Now she's really sick and I'm worried. What if i am never able to tell her that? What if she l-leaves this world thinking her grandson hated her? What if _she_ hates me for making my mom leave her because of me? What if-"

A finger pressed hard against his lips and he stopped talking, staring wide eyed at Jisung. 

"Hyung, she doesn't hate you. She could never hate you. If anything she must be feeling guilty for hurting you by what she thought was good for you."

Minho felt tears well up in his eyes and he shook his head. _He couldn't be sure about that, not after all these years._

Jisung removed his finger and instead pressed his whole body agaisnt Minho's trying to wrap his thin arms around the older's shoulders. A whine left the boy's lips, 

"Hyung you're so broad!"

Minho chuckled at that and easily engulfed the other's lithe body by his own arms, murmuring into the boy's ear and feeling a shudder run through the boy.

"What do I do Sungie?"

Jisung's lips move near his neck and he felt his skin tingle as the younger's breath fanned over it. 

"She loves you and you should go meet her befo- So that you don't regret it."

"What if I'm unable to tell her how i feel?"

Minho knows he's being childish and stubborn. He's old enough to not be embarrassed about apologizing or forgiving but he knows that he'd feel like a 5 year old in front of his grandma. She had that effect on everyone.

Jisung gave a light laugh and Minho almost melted into the embrace. 

"I have an idea hyung. Does your grandma like flowers?"

Minho was confused, "Yeah?"

Suddenly he felt cold air hit him as Jisung peeled himself from him. He suppressed a complaining noise as he stared at the boy, already missing the way the younger's body fit agaisnt his. 

"Hyung! Listen to me okay? When you meet her, give her these flowers okay?"

Minho continued to stare at the other, "Are flowers supposed to solve my problem?"

He was being sarcastic but Jisung just gave him a sincere nod of head. 

Minho muttered a tired, "You're unbelievable." As he tried to put space between them. 

But Jisung grabbed his hands, "Hyungg!! Trust me! Just give her these okay?"

Minho shook his head as he stood up. Glancing at the boy he took a moment to appreciate how the boy looked in darkness. Time had passed by really fast enveloping both of them in the blackness of night with just a single lampost as light source. 

"It's late Sungie, we should go back home."

Jisung was still giving him the kicked puppy look and he chuckled a little before petting the others head. He started walking away and just as expected Jisung was on his feet in an instant. 

"Hyung wait! Don't leave me behind, it's so dark. There could be creepy creatures all around ready to attack my handsome face."

He slowed down enough for the boy to fall in step but didn't stop. Once Jisung was beside him, he latched onto Minho's arm, mumbling about some children of night wanting to taste his awesome blood and what not, to which he just chuckled and threatened to throw the boy at them if the time ever came. 

They parted ways at the shop and Jisung gave him an excited wave. 

"Sungie, let me can walk you home."

Jisung had already refused that a couple of times and did so again as he pushed Minho inside the shop. Resigned Minho watched from the door wanting to say something or rather expecting the boy to say something. 

Jisung was back tracking into the street and Minho was almost disappointed but thrn the boy shouted, _"ARUM!"_ catching him off guard. 

Minho gave a questioning look to the boy who merely beamed at him before turning around and walking away. He kept standing until the boy disappeared from his line of sight and only then did he lock up the shop to settle in for the day. 

  
**\----------()()()()()()------------**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**HYDRANGEA**

Minho was nervous about facing the boy, worried that something might've changed after him telling the younger about his past. He hadn't gone into details about how he'd become closed off and cold, turning towards self harm as a cope up mechanism to deal with the guilt. How the boy had given him a disappoint look just before he'd left, how he'd beaten himself up over ruining someone's life even if he hadn't been at fault.

His mother had put him in for therapy after finding out about his dark thoughts and the doctor had helped alot but that didn't mean that he had completely healed. He still didn't have any friends and came off as rude and arrogant to others which was just his way of keeping himself away from people. Although he did keep a daily diary which had helped sort his feelings out and find solace.

Jisung was the only one he'd let himself get close to but that was more because of the fact that the younger was a stubborn crackhead who didn't stop even after all the ignoring and cruel remarks from Minho. His resolution was what had made Minho finally give in and now he was worried about the consequences.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the bells chiming, the obnoxious sound of the squirrel boy reaching his ears before he could even see the other. 

"If I had a single flower for everytime I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden~"

Minho couldn't fight off the affectionate smile as he scoffed at the others another lame attempt at flirting but for once he had a response which he'd read up on net a few days ago. So when the boy was in front of him with his too-bright-for-morning smile he smirked and dropped his voice a couple of octaves before purring, 

"I hope thistle shows you how much I love you baby~"

He watched as the boy's face changed from smiley to shocked to flaming red. Laughing at the other he petted the boy's head before walking away to work his ass off for another day. 

Jisung fake sniffed at him and jutted his bottom lip out. 

"You know that a thistle means ' _hate_ ' right hyung?"

Minho winked at the boy before retrieving his gloves to get his hands dirty once again. He heard the boy huff. 

"Ofcourse you knew the meaning. You're so mean hyung!"

He snorted at the boy's sulky look.

"Get clover it Sungie~"

The boy's eyes went wide like saucepans as he gaped open mouth at him, 

"You've been reading flower puns haven't you!! No wonder you're using words that you probably don't even have an idea about."

Minho gave the other an unimpressed look, "I know what clovers mean you squeaky squirrel."

Jisung puffed his cheeks at that, "Prove it."

Minho gave the other a proud smile, "Clovers mean good luck."

At the surprised look on the others face Minho felt pride swell up in his chest. Satisfied he turned away, walking towards the seedling section to plant a few since he'd been running low. 

The younger exclaimed incredulously, "Hyung my flower puns are rub-"

Minho stopped midtrack when a loud crash sounded across the shop. Whipping his head around he saw Jisung on the floor and a few broken pots littered around him. 

"Jisung!!"

He quickly ran up to the boy, careful of the broken pieces of pottery as he checked the boy. Jisung's eyes were wide, his face blank as he stared straight ahead. It made Minho's worry increase by a hundred fold. 

"Jisung can you get up?"

He shook the boy when the other didn't repsond but the other still kept staring ahead, in a state of shock. 

"Fuck."

Minho looped his arms around Jisung's shoulder and under his knees picking the boy up as he carefully walked to the counter. He frowned at the concerning weight of the boy who practically felt like nothing in Minho's arms, but pushed that aside for the time being.

He placed Jisung on top of the counter and inspected the other's body looking for any kind of injury. 

Lightly shaking Jisung's narrow shoulders he softly whispered, "Hey Sungie. It's okay, you're alright."

Jisung shivered and his grip on the boy tightened a little as he kept mumbling soft nothings to calm the boy. Finally after a few excruciating long minutes Jisung snapped out of his trance and gasped. Minho quickly rubbed soothing circles on the boy's back. 

"Hey hey, it's okay."

"H-Hyung?"

"Yeah Sungie. I'm here."

"Hyung I'm s-sorry."

"Shhh."

He wrapped his arms around the trembling boy, "Eveything is alright kitten, don't worry. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

The boy shook his head slightly not bothering to remove his head that was tucked in the crook of Minho's neck as he took shuddering breaths every now and then. 

Minho was perplexed by the situation, the pots had been put to the side to avoid exactly such a thing but Jisung had still somehow tripped over them. He wasn't worried about the pots, rather he was concerned with how much the younger was shivering in his hold.

Breathing in deeply Jisung pushed himself away and gave a sheepish smile to Minho, "Sorry about that Hyung, I j-just..... It shocked me a little."

Minho wasn't satisfied by the answer but he ignored the nagging feeling in order to put the boy at ease. He looked down and blushed furiously as he saw the position they were in.

Jisung's thighs were pressing Minho's own between them which he was sure the boy wasn't even aware about and they were both flushed against each other, chest to chest. 

Clearing his throat Minho leaned away from the boy and choked out a barely audible, "I-I'll get you something to drink."

And just like that he pushed away and half sprinted to the upper floor to make the boy some hot chocolate. 

Once he was a lot calmer and also supporting two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, he came down only to find the boy sitting at the same place with his head thrown back as he leaned back on his arms. Minho gulped at the boy's exposed honey tan skin stretching from his neck to his collarbones. He had to physically snap himself out of it as he put on a smile and walked the small distance to the boy. 

They both enjoyed the hot chocolate in a comfortable silence which only broke when Jisung's phone blared, startling both the boys.

Jisung hesitantly picked up the call, glancing at Minho.

"Hey."

"Yeah but-"

Minho watched as Jisung's face changed from nervous to angry to finally a blank expression.

"Okay I'll be there."

Jisung jumped off the counter and instanly Minho's hands were there to help the boy in case he wobbled, which he actually did. 

"Sungie-"

"I'm fine hyung."

Minho clicked his tongue as he removed his hands that had landed on the boy's waist, "You going back home?"

Jisung staggered a few steps to the gate before finally getting the feel back into his legs and walking with a better gait, "Yeah- No, actually mom called me to the hospital."

"What? Why? Are you sick?"

Jisung chuckled lightly at that giving a fond look at the older, "What is with you and sick?"

Minho folded his arms at the boy who finally stopped at the door and was leaning against it as he turned to look at Minho. 

"Sungie...."

Jisung gave him a bright smile which unquestionably rivaled that of the sun as he waved at the older and walked out of the door without answering.

Just as Minho bent to collect the broken pottery the squirrel boy suddenly poked his head back in, giving the older a sad look before whispering,

"Hydrangea...."

And just like that the boy was gone, leaving Minho with about a hundred worries and a million questions buzzing around his head. 

  
**\-----------()()()()()()()-----------**

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**.**

**.**

"Minho! Minho Hyung!!"

Minho looked up, sighing in relief from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor just as Jisung came bombarding inside. The boy hadn't come by in at the usual time which had dampened Minho's mood alot but now that Jisung was finally here, he could breathe a little easy. Although it was still surprising to see the boy in evening rather than morning.

Jisung was clutching at his hoodie's zipper and for a moment Minho felt anxiety pool inside his gut, worried that the boy was sick what with the sweat dripping from the boy's forhead and the harsh panting of the other. 

But the boy merely gave him an excited look before shrieking, 

"Hyung! Look who I found!"

He squinted his eyes as the boy unzipped the hoodie and a pair of beady black eyes stared back at him. As Jisung tenderly pushed the animal out, Minho couldn't help but coo at it.

It was a small tabby cat which by the looks of it was pretty hungry.

Jisung was still holding the kitten in his hands as both of the cute animals looked at Minho with big innocent eyes which made his heart ache in his chest. 

Slowly Minho lifted his palm towards the kitten and let it sniff around to get familiar. When the little one started to nuzzle into his hand, he gently picked the kitten from Jisung's hands and placed it onto his lap. 

The tabby was surprisingly active and in good spirits as it jumped from thigh to thigh, trying to climb him as it played around. Minho giggled as he scratched the kitten's hair making soft sounds of adoration while the kitten purred in satisfaction.

-

Looking at Minho being so openly caring and sweet towards the little buddy had Jisung squirming in a way he didn't want to think about. He looked at the kitten basking in the older's love and for a second he was jealous. In the spur of the moment he leaned forward and placed his chin on Minho's shoulder with a pout. 

"Lucky Kitty."

Minho's lips pulled into a huge smile as he turned to look at him making Jisung quickly move back as heat threatened to creep over his neck. The older gave a cute little chuckle before tickling the underside of Jisung's chin and the younger almost combusted as his heart explode inside his ribcage. 

_"Cute."_

Jisung was still shaken up from the gesture and the compliment which was why he didn't even realize what he was doing until it was too late. 

Within seconds he was closing the space between him and Minho, leaning towards the older's face with hooded eyes. He didn't even give the other a warning before he was pressing his lips against the older's. 

Minho gasped in his mouth and Jisung felt like he ascended to cloud nine. The other's warm and plush lips pressed into his own chapped ones.

He would've died a happy man at this moment but fate had another torturous end decided for him. After a few minutes of hesitation Minho finally repsonded to the kiss by deepening it and whatever little life that was left in Jisung completely got knocked out. 

There was a hand cradling the back of Minho's head as fingers carded into his hair, pulling at them and making him growl at the sensation. Jisung shuddered at the sound and Minho smirked as he angled his head better and pushed his tongue past the younger's lips causing Jisung to see stars burst behind his eyelids. 

He grabbed the front of Minho's shirt and bunched the material into fists as soft whimpers left his mouth, swallowed by Minho who was mercilessly nipping at his bottom lip.

The need for air was too strong as he pulled back a little and breathed in harshly. Minho too pulled back, his lips slick as he licked at them before mumbling a curious,

"Why are your lips so cold Sungie?"

It was like a bucket of ice water splashed over him and he came back spiralling to the ground from the high he'd been on just a few seconds ago. 

He looked at Minho who's eyes were twinkling and he knew he had fucked things up. Voice breaking over he whimpered,

"I-I'm sorry."

As soon as the words left him he fell back onto his rear and inched away from Minho, eyes never leaving the older's face. 

Minho looked confused at first and he really shouldn't have said anything else but he had to..... He needed to. 

"I'm sorry. I-... It was a mistake."

He watched in horror as the confusion on Minho's face morphed into hurt and then into a cold expression as he put up his guard and that was it. He couldn't look at the other's face anymore.

His knees felt like jelly and there was no strength left in his legs but he pushed himself off the ground almost toppling and hitting the shelf but he braced himself and stumbled a few steps before breaking into a run and rushing out of the shop.

He kept on running even as his legs protested and he felt pain flare up through his whole body, he still didn't stop.

Looking around everything looked blurred and that's when he realized that he was crying, tears running down in constant streams. 

When a rather violent cough ripped out of him, he stopped and clutched at his chest. Whether it was meant to soothe his lungs or his heart, he didn't know but he kept pressing his chest. His legs shook badly as he fell face forward on the ground, the hard pavement slapping his body. He knew that he deserved this. 

Curling into a fetal position, he cried miserably, not having the strength to get up anymore.

-

There was a shrill ringing sound in his ears as he watched Jisung stumble his way out of the shop. He was barely aware of the kitten mewing and licking at his hands as time seemed to have painfully slowed down. 

_Jisung couldn't have meant that._

After the past few weeks spent in the younger's company Minho knew that he wasn't like that. He wouldn't have jus-.... Just _kissed_ him and called it a mistake unless there was a reason. 

Yes, there was definitely a reason for what Jisung had done and said and Minho wouldn't rest until he asked the bo directly.

The way Jisung's eyes were shining with unshed tears and his face had crumpled into one of pain contradicted the boy's words and Minho had a feeling that there was more to it than that which he'd have to find out. 

But for now thinking was hurting him so he forcefully shut his brain down and focused on his work and the hungry cat.

He had worked much more than necessary for the rest of the evening and it had kept thoughts at bay but now as he lay in his bed tossing and turning he couldn't help but overthink about everything. 

After an hour or so of fruitless tries at sleeping his phone rang. Picking the vibrating thing up he squinted at the brightness of the screen before swiping and placing it against his ear. 

"Hello?"

"Wha-..."

The phone dropped from his hold onto the bed and he looked down to see both of his hands trembling. It felt like his whole world was turned upside down for a second with nothing left other than a blaring voice repeating a single word like a broken cassette in his head. 

_Dead_

**_............_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!  
> (don't worry.... You'll get what those flowers mean soon enough... This fic feels like a special flower language class😂)
> 
> Also about the King Of Flower topic.... I've come across this alot that Roses are the king of flowers and maybe its true but in China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries, Peonies are taken as a symbol of riches and fortune and is regarded as the King Of Flowers.. So i based it on that. 
> 
> ヾ(〃^∇^)ﾉ


	2. Shi'ne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was heavily edited after i found out the song "Fallin' Flower".... That song literally matched so well with the story!! 
> 
> WARNING ⚠  
> Please read tags before reading this chapter to avoid anything that might make anyone upset or uncomfortable... I don't like putting archive warnings so I've put eveything in tags if you want to read. 
> 
> Well then... Let's end this journey shall we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The meanings which i haven't explained in this chapter will be down in the ending notes if anyone is curious..)

The earliest train to Gimpo left in the morning and Minho knew that he should get a few hours worth of sleep but he couldn't. Rather he spent the rest of the night taking care of the plants, finding comfort in them for the first time as he let his body move on its own.

When there was nothing else left to do he called up Mrs. Hwang who's number his mom had given for emergency. He apologized for the horrible timing but after he explained the situation the woman was understanding and kind enough to listen to him. He asked her to look after the plants for the time he'd be gone and the woman was more than willing to take care of the shop in the absence of the Lee's.

A boy came to the shop half an hour after the call, introducing himself as "Hyunjin." For some reason the boy had recognized him with wide eyes but Minho didn't have time to ask the other as he handed the boy a spare set of keys and showed him out so that he could pack up.

There were still about 40 min for the train to arrive but Minho found himself sitting on the bench staring into space at the station. He had a single duffel bag and his tabby kitten with him, he didn't want to leave the kitty so he'd decided to bring it along. Looking to his right side he found rows and rows of snack shops, but just thinking about food had bile rising up his throat so he turned away to look to the other side.

On his left were one or two souvenir shops and a single flower stall. He found his feet dragging him towards the flowers as soon as his eyes landed on the colorful array of blossoms displayed under the soft morning light.

There was a young girl behind the counter with light brown pigtails. She gave off the aura of someone warm and friendly, reminding him of-

"Good morning! Is there something specific you're looking for?"

The sudden greeting startled Minho as he struggled to give a reply, "I- uhh.... "

He swept his eyes over the various blooms displayed all around the stall from bright red to blue, yellow, purple and what not. Confused he decided to ask the girl for some recommendation but then a memory surfaced to the front of his mind, of a deep blue sky and a single lamp-post providing a soft glow over puffy cheeks and shining brown eyes.

That night he had told Jisung all about his past and his relationship with his Grandma... In turn the boy had told him to take Narcissus, ~~_(or commonly known as Daffodils)_~~ for his grandma the next time he decided to visit her. He shook his head to rid the lingering feeling of that night but no matter how hard he tried to ignore the cheeky boy's voice... he couldn't.

Taking a deep breath he looked at the girl who was looking at him with a kind and patient expression.

"Do you have Narcissus?"

And that's how he found himself boarding the train. His bag slung across his shoulder, a tabby cat snuggled inside of his jacket and a bouquet of bright yellow flowers in his hand.

\----

Breathing in the fresh country air he felt as if a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders but in it's place a strong feeling of guilt settled in the bottom of his gut. He had missed all of this, especially his grandma, her warm smiles, hugs and-

Sighing he took off, the way to his grandma's home engraved deep in his mind as he maneuvered his way without a hitch. Spending his entire childhood and most of his teenage life had sure left an irrevocable mark.

He noticed the crowd from far away, probably gathered for his grandmother. Ducking his head he quietly made his way inside and found his mom standing in the very center of the living room. Her cheeks were hollowed, eye's puffy and red rimmed from crying but she was wearing a soft smile and he knew for a fact that it was just a mask. Taking a step forward he timidly called out to her,

"Mom.....?"

Her head whipped up as soon as she heard his voice and her eyes widened just a fraction urging Minho to cover the last bit of space between them, engulfing her in a tight hug. Using his free hand he patted her back before pressing tightly against her worryingly cold body. She was a good few inches shorter than him, giving her an excuse to hide her face in his chest, probably not wanting to be seen crying since she had always played the role of the tough pillar in the family.

Not knowing what to say to her, he struggled to form some sort of sentence but he didn't have to think for long. As she pulled away from him, her attention got caught by the bright yellow flowers that he was clutching in his other hand.

"Oh Minho!"

Exclaiming with a gasp, she covered her mouth and for a second Minho was sure that he'd done something wrong by buying those. Tears start rolling down his mom's cheeks and he hid the bouquet behind him.

"I'm sorry-"

He didn't get to finish his apology as his mom looked directly at him, her expression one of fondness and pride which confused him.

"You forgive your grandmother?"

Minho stared at her in shock, taking a step back, "Wha- How?"

She gave him a lopsided smile, pointing to the flowers, "Do you know what giving someone Daffodils mean? It means you want a new start which can also mean _forgiving someone_ , showing that you're willing to restart the relationship with a clean slate."

He looked down at the bouquet then back at his mother finally understanding the reason why Jisung had asked him to get these even though their appearance did not suit the occasion. 

Giving her a sheepish smile he mumbled, "Y-Yeah i do... "

She once again gave him hug before letting go and lightly pushing him towards the front.

"Go pay her a visit before we-"

Choking on her words, she was unable to finish her sentence but he understood her nonetheless. Giving her a nod he turned sideways, looking at the casket lying open a few feet away.

There was a strange nervous feeling in his heart and his eyes stung but he calmed himself with few deep breath and walked towards it. He came face to face with his grandma lying peacefully over white silken bedding inside the wooden casket, her hands were clasped in front of her chest and her eyes were closed, giving her a strangely serene look.

A muffled whimper left his mouth and he quickly turned away from the lifeless body of his grandma, instead focusing on the numerous flowers put there by the people who visited her for the last time. There was a plethora of whites and light blues, even a few pink here and there but none of them were the same as the one's he had brought. They all seemed to be representing sorrow, loss and he knew that without even having Jisung explain it to him.

He gave one last look to his grandma, whispering, "I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier......."

Placing the bouquet over the many others, he made a small prayer before finally turning away and making his way to his mother who stood there with her arms wide open.

The funeral was small but many people came to give their condolences reminding him of the fact that his grandma used to be really socially active.

He was bone tired even before night fell as he curled up against his mother, not wanting to sleep alone.

"Thank you Minnie."

He was too far gone to reply with anything more than a grunt as he felt her nimble fingers ruffle his hair and that was how he found himself succumbing to a restless sleep in which he dreamt of chasing Jisung.

In the dream he was running after Jisung in what looked like an endless garden full of colorful flowers and tall looming trees. He tried calling out to the other but the boy only seemed to be getting farther and farther out of his reach. When he finally couldn't see Jisung anymore he stopped, panting as he tried to catch his breath. 

Feeling wetness pool under his soles he whipped his head down to see blood spilling from his feet, covering the numerous white petals surrounding him on the ground. Terrified he stumbled back, falling into a bush full of thorns an-

"MINHO!"

Gasping he jolted up, drenched in cold sweat with his heart painfully hammering against his chest. He snapped his head up and found himself looking straight into the worried eyes of his mother. She was holding his shoulders, probably shaking him up from the nightmare.

Trying to find his voice he tried to speak up only to end up choking, "I-I-"

"It's okay honey, you're okay."

Pulling him into a warm embrace she rubbed soothing circles on his back as she tried to calm him. He felt the last of the shivers run through his body before his heartbeat finally slowed down to normal.

"Go to sleep Minnie."

Feeling exhaustion once again take over his body he slumped against his mother mumbling "Mhmm," before falling into a hopefully dreamless sleep.

\-----

His mother decided to stay in Gimpo for two more weeks and Minho took that time to introduce the tabby aka Dori _(he recently named the kitten that)_ to the other two cats that lived at his grandma's home- Soonie and Doongi. He was happy to see the three getting along well. While Soonie nuzzled to the youngest of the litter and welcomed it with open arms, Doongi was more closed off- choosing to glare at the tabby before walking away. The lack of some sort of violence from Doongi's side was enough proof for everyone to know that the ever ice-heart had given it's permission for the new recruit to live as a part of _it's kingdom._

Four days into his peacefully solitary life with his mom, a family visited them. They were old family friends, the Kim's, as his mother introduced them to Minho. The couple had two sons of about the same age as him and much to his chagrin his mom ushered them both with Minho to his room, for some _bonding_. Needless to say all three of them were in an awkward silence for the starting few minutes until a Twice _(a famous kpop idol group)_ song suddenly started blaring in the quiet of the room making Minho and the older of the brothers burst into laughter with the younger one blushing in embarassment, and just like that the ice was broken.

The older introduced himself as Wonpil and the younger as Seungmin, apparently when they were all kids they lived in this town and were usually over at Minho's grandmad's home as their parents were both working people. Minho didn't remember much but Wonpil did, being older than both of them. The three of them settled into a comfortable conversation and Minho found himself actually enjoying their company. After years of isolating himself from making friends, he figured that he didn't mind the change and it was probably a certain squirrel's fault that he wasn't shutting those two out although right now he was more grateful than upset by the cheeky-chatterbox.

"So Minho what's your major?"

Minho turned to Wonpil giving him a small smile, "I'm majoring in Dance at the Seoul National University."

The older gave him a surprised look and turned to Seungmin, "Isn't Hyunjin also in the same department?"

Seungmin nodded at his brother before asking, "Minho hyung do you know any Hwang Hyunjin?"

The name sounded familiar for some reason but he didn't know the boy, he didn't pay much attention to others in his department or even university for that matter. Suddenly feeling conscious he ducked his head muttering a small, "No, i don't think so."

Wonpil seemed to pick up on his discomfort as he quickly said, "I'm majoring in Music and am currently in my final year at JYP Music and Art's University while-"

Seungmin took it from there, "I'm in my first year of JYP too but i'm majoring in photography."

JYP was another famous university in Seoul which offered music, art, entertainment etc majors and it had also been in Minho's choice until he'd gotten the acceptance letter from Seoul National.

Suddenly Wonpil excitedly said, "Let's exchange numbers and hang out later. We'll introduce our other friends to you too... I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with those crackheads. I swear all the nut cases of the country are gathered in our groups. Since my friends will be a little too old for you, I'll let Channie adopt you."

He gave an exasperated sigh as he said that but Minho could hear the pride in the other's voice as he talked about his group and for once he longed for something like that. Shaking his head to get rid of the weird thoughts he cursed the baby squirrel for being the cause of all this confusion he'd been recently feeling.

After some hours which had almost flown by if you asked Minho, both the boys were gone, leaving Minho feeling strangely elated with two new numbers in his contact list and a BBQ night planned out for the next day. Later on while he was laying face down on his bed he felt the strongest urge to talk to Jisung and tell him about the new friends he'd made, he had a feeling that the younger would be extremely happy and would eat his ear off by asking about all the details. Thinking about the other made him feel giddy and sad at the same time.

He had left without saying a word to Jisung which would have definitely made the younger worry but he was betting on Mrs. Hwang to explain things to the boy if he ever visited the shop.

He had alot of questions for Jisung, for starters he wanted to talk to the younger about the kiss that they had shared. He didn't know why he had responded to the kiss instead of pushing the younger away but he needed the boy to explain his reasons for doing that and then running away with some sorry. Even if the kiss had meant nothing, it still didn't mean that the boy could just do that and run off. They had to talk out things and clear up whatever it was so that they could stay friends without any awkwardness between them, it would hurt Minho alot too lose such an amazing friend just because of some misunderstanding.

\------

"Minho! There's a call for you!!"

Minho hurriedly tied his shoelaces yelling, a little breathless, "Sorry mom!! I'm already running late. Just tell whoever it is to call back later! I gotta go byeee!"

Running at a very fast speed he barely made it in time for the BBQ night with Wonpil and Seungmin, they both had laughed at his disheveled state but he'd glared them both quiet. He had a rather enjoyable time with the two brothers and they even face-timed Hyunjin and Minho found out exactly why the name had sounded familiar, he was the same boy who had come for the shop keys.

Apparently Hyunjin knew Minho and low-key worshipped him for his dancing skills if the red face and Seungmin's snickers were anything to guess by. He was also in the same dance class as Minho and him not recognizing the boy made Minho feel bad for some reason but the other was quick to shut his guilt away by exclaiming how it was understandable with how famous Minho was around campus.

After a deliciously fun night Minho made his way back home with yet another phone number saved in his contacts, it all felt a little unreal to him. If someone had told him that he'd be making friends by the end of this year, Minho would've probably laughed maniacally at the odd comment or giving a bored look at the unbelievable words but now that it had actually happened, all of it was looking a little too good to be true. He had pinched himself a couple of times confirming that all of this was _not a dream_ , his cold distant ass had finally managed to secure some good friends even though he hadn't planned on it, Jisung was surely rubbing off on him without even being here. _That sneaky-flirty-squirrel._

By the time he was back home, his mother was already asleep and he smiled as he watched her peaceful expression, she was getting better, slowly but surely. It would take time but he knew his mom, she was strong and would definitely get back up stronger than ever. Trying not to make too much noise he tip-toed to his room and fell into a deep slumber himself.  
  


\-----

"WHAT! Mom why didn't you tell me??!"

She gave him an unimpressed look and he was reminded of where exactly he got his looks from, it was exactly the same as his own.

"I clearly remember telling you that someone called for you Min."

Minho couldn't help but huff out, "But you didn't say that it was _Jisung!_ "

His mom gave him the _'are you for real'_ look before turning away, "It was technically Mrs. Hwang, she said that Jisung had been coming in for a few days and was asking about you so she called to let that the poor boy talk to you but you were _too busy._ "

Minho whined at that, if he'd known it was Jisung then he would've gladly been even an hour late for the dinner. Before he could go sulk in his room his mom asked, her back turned to him.

"How do you know Jisung?"

It was a little scary how he jumped at the opportunity to talk about the annoying-squirrel boy and told his mom everything about him- _well almost everything_ \- He decided to leave his breakdown and the kiss parts out. His mom had a sad look on her face as she smiled at him, which he couldn't understand but when he asked about it, she dismissed it and he made his way to his room. 

Talking about the other brought him to his current state, with him being sprawled over his bed with his personal diary open. He had written about all the days spent with the younger which included him writing about all the flowers and meanings that the younger had told him about. He hadn't let it on but he was actually getting interested in the various flowers the boy talked about. 

Looking down at the messily scrawled note that the boy had left for him  
(which he had put inside his diary with the other one) he came to a sudden realization. If the flower that Jisung had asked him to get for his grandma had a specific meaning behind it then what were the chances that the flower names that the younger had shouted out without any explanation also meant something, like secret messages? Gasping in disbelief he quickly pulled out his phone as he searched about their meanings.

After the last name's meaning he looked at the piece of paper, on which he had been jotting the meanings, with something akin to disbelief. He needed to have total confirmation about this and the only person who could give him the most appropriate answers was just a room or so away.

Shuffling to his feet he shouted a frantic, "MOM!"

Running out of his room he jumped two steps at a time down the stairs, scaring the two cats who had been lounging peacefully, as he once again called for his mom.

"Mom!"

Panting at the kitchen door he looked up to see his mother standing in front of the counter, a knife clutched tightly in her hand and raised in midair as if to attack. If it were under any other circumstances, he would've laughed and teased her, but right now there was a much more pressing matter.

"I need your help!"

She raised one eyebrow at that while her shoulders sagged as she realized that there was no apparent threat, just her hyped up child creating ruckus and giving her the scares of her life.

"I thoug-"

"Mom! Please."

Her expression grew serious as she registered his tone and she nodded at him to continue.

Without wasting a second he jumped straight to point, "You know meanings of flowers?"

She looked confused at the randomness of the question but replied nonetheless, "Yes. Why?"

Moving in front of her and taking a seat he put his entire focus on the paper in his hand as he said, "Tell me the meaning of the flowers i name. Okay mom?"

The situation would've looked funny to any third person but to Minho it was an important matter and his mother knew him well enough to not take it lightly either as she smiled softly at him, "Of course, ask ahead boy."

Taking a deep breath he started with the very first, "Glonixia?"

She looked surprised but answered, "It signifies _'love at first sight'_ "

It was the first random that name Jisung had said to him, the day he had challenged to make Minho fall in love with flowers.

"Amaryllis?"

_"Don't try to resist me."_ That was the day he had almost fallen off the ladder if not for Jisung saving him and then he had hidden away from the boy. 

"Azalea?"

_"Being with you makes me happy."_ He hadn't seen Jisung for a few days which had made him worried, but then the boy had came in and later begged Minho to let him stay even though his mom had called him back home.

"A-Arum?"

_"I'll be here for you so let me help you."_ It was the day he had told Jisung about his past.

With a much needed breath he finally asked the last one, "Hydrangea?"

His mom tilted her head, _"Is there hope for us to be together?"_

He slumped back against the chair letting it all sink in while his mom stood silently probably giving him time before she asked anything. After a few more minutes she finally spoke up,

"What was this about Min?"

He looked at her and tried to school his expression as much as he could before he gave her a smile and waved his hand in a dismissive manner, 

"Nothing nothing, i just found a bunch of names and was curious about their meanings."

She gave him one of those _'I'm not buying this shit'_ look,

"Does this have something to do with Jisu-"

He quickly jumped to his feet as he almost shouted in his haste to get away, "Sorry, I gotta go now. Woojin and Seungmin must be waiting for me."

And with that he bolted out of the house with the speed of someone with his pants on fire before his mom could catch onto him.  
  


\------

Minho refused to believe that Jisung had just randomly thrown flower names at him time to time. The boy had babbled on and on about the different plants that were in the flower shop and he could've stopped at that but the boy had went ahead and shouted new names without his usual explanations. There was no way in hell that it was random, not with how the meanings made sense and related to the events of their respective days like that.

He was brimming with restless energy and now he just wanted to go back to Seoul so he could confront Jisung. He was curious to know if what he thought was true or not, consequences be damned.

The last few days at Gimpo went by at a snail's pace as he tried to pass each without screaming, what with his new friends also gone back to Seoul. Finally the day came and he was also boarding the train with his mom and three cats. That's when the insecurities found their way through the cracks in the carefully built wall that he kept his negativity locked behind, and he started questioning everything that had happened to him till that time. From finding happiness because of a very persistent lively boy who was his complete opposite, losing his grandma to making friends after years spent in solitude. 

Pressing his palms firmly to his ears he tried to ignore the words that were being whispered by the vicious voices in his head but he found himself slowly succumbing to them as each new word murmured in his head hit nearer to home.

_You're just going to make a fool of yourself._

_No one could ever like someone as broken as you._

_You're just some sad lonely boy that Jisung took pity on_.

_It's all a misunderstanding._

_You grandma never forgave you_.

_Just like before you'll end up hurting all these people who are trying to befriend you._

_They'll never accept you_.

_No one wants you around._

_Just leave everyone in peace._

_You're nothing but a burden._

_They're all better off without you-_  
  


He clutched at his head and screamed back at the voices, telling them to shut the fuck up as he fought to claim otherwise, desperately trying to prove them wrong. Glancing to his right he was glad to find his mom blissfully asleep and unaware of his mental struggle as he tried not to run off or worse cry. He tried to think of happier things, imagining his cats lounging on grass as his grandma smiled from the porch, of his mom looking at him shyly as she showed him the tray of burnt cookies, of Jisung as his face lit up while he pointed at some random flower and listed off its whole bio-data and lifr history.

Feeling the voices slowly fade in the background he thought about the night Jisung brought Dori, the kitten poking it's tiny head from the front of his hoodie. He let out a small chuckle as he remembered the way both the boy and the kitten had looked at him with those round sparkly eyes. Unable to stop his mind he found it drifting to when the squirrel boy had kissed him, the feel of the other's cold and chapped lips as they had awkwardly moved against his and-

Mentally slapping himself, he shook his head for further effect as he came crashing back to his senses. He didn't even know if the boy actually liked him or not, moreover he wasn't even sure if _he_ liked the boy or not. He might not even like the boy romantically for all he knew.... atleast not yet anyway.

\------

He wasted no time in bounding down the stairs after he practically dumped his stuff in the spare room. His mother was still unpacking her stuff so he didn't want to disturb her, giving her time to settle down.

Grabbing the water can he went about his recently developed routine, walking around the shop muttering each plant and flower's name and a few shy greetings as he watered them. Somehow the whole work calmed his previously chaotic nerves and he hummed to himself, inhaling the sweet and earthy scents wafting all around him. He was glad that he had asked Mrs. Hwang to water his plants in his absence.

_His plants?_ His stomach swooped as he realized that he genuinely considered them his own and not just a work thrown at him by his mother anymore. He smiled thinking about the way Jisung would react if he told him this, the boy would probably jump around the whole place shouting and screaming in that high pitched excited voice of his. Jisung had said that he'd make him fall in love with plants and it looked like the boy had made it happen too, because if it wasn't for the hyperactive chatterbox squirrel then Minho would've still felt like he was doing a chore rather than something that he now enjoyed.

Too busy in his own head he missed the way his mother was staring open-mouthed from the stairs, her eyes wide in shock as she witnessed her 'I-hate-everything-especially-stupid-earthlings' son humming and smiling while he watered the very plants that he used to hate.

She had a strong feeling that this drastic change as well as her son suddenly making friends had something to do with a certain chubby cheeked boy and she couldn't wait to meet him, probably thank him a thousand times for bringing light to her son's dark world. A wistful sigh slipped past her lips as she thought about the other boy, not wanting to dampen the all over mood with pessimism she brushed aside the sad thoughts as she called out to Minho for some late breakfast.

**\--------**

It had been over two weeks already and there was still no sign of Jisung whatsoever. Minho was barely holding himself back from running up and down the streets and calling out for the boy, as he wished for the umpteenth time that he had atleast asked for the boy's number if not his address. He had kept the reason of his recently sour mood hidden from his mother, she had been doing better and he didn't want to make her worry about him although that hadn't stopped him from spamming his friends' dm with endless whining. 

Just like Wonpil had promised, he'd called Minho to some cafe and set him up with Seungmin's group. Later on he even introduced his own friends to him who had hit it off with Minho after barely a few minutes of terse silence and ended the day with taking him in as their unofficially cat-child.

Apparently the older wasn't lying when he'd said that Chan's group was a rowdy bunch, not that Minho minded that. He had found himself enjoying their company as the others chatted or rather bickered the whole time without letting his naturally quiet nature bring the mood own. The group had five more members other than Seungmin, among them Hyunjin was in the same university and even department as him while Chan and Changbin were in JYP university studying music. They were all uniquely talented with surprisingly different personalities yet they had been extremely friendly and accepting of him even though he was new and reserved. They has somehow even taken a liking to him which he still couldn't get why.

He had become closer with Chan faster than others and maybe it was because of the other's motherly nature, which had made him feel safe and cared for. Changbin was someone he loved teasing and pranking alot since the boy didn't seem to take offense, the other was playful and fun to be around. Seungmin and Hyunjin were practically attached to the hips and it was always fun watching them interact or rather suffer while Changbin teased the hell out of them, sometimes with Minho adding to the duo's misery. There were two other members who he hadn't met yet since they were both out of the country but he had an idea about them with how much the others talked and longed for them.

Changbin was especially cranky time to time, missing his boyfriend Felix while the whole group practically cried for their youngest Jeongin which made Minho feel funny. Was _he_ this important in someone's life? Did anyone talk about him this way or miss him? Somehow these thoughts would always put him in a weird mood, making him avoid others as he curled up in his bed alone, trying to fight these thoughts away.

It was yet another day that he skipped his classes to come over at the shop in the morning, hoping for the boy to come in dancing, screaming, singing or doing anything at all. Only a single customer had came in and he'd ignored the woman since she wasn't who he was waiting for. He was pulling out the weeds and putting in fertilizer when his mom called out to him, her voice strained and on the verge of breaking which was enough for him to throw his gloves off in a hurry as he sprinted to where she was.

He found her sitting around the small round table they kept at the far end of the shop with mismatched chairs with another woman whom he recognized as the customer who had just walked in. He stopped a few feet away and looked at the stranger woman.

She was wearing an all black dress, her brown hair pulled into a messy bun with the free strands falling over her face while her head was ducked. There was nothing special about her appearance other than her puffy cheeks and tanned skin, something about those features kept nagging at the back of his head but he shrugged the feeling away as he turned to his mother. 

"Mom you called-"

A chill ran down his spine as his eyes landed on his mother who was crying silently, her lips pressed into a thin line as she gave him a sympathetic look.

He didn't know why but the look made his insides turn over and suddenly he had the strongest urge to throw up. He snapped his attention from his mom to the woman who had finally looked up from the table and was now directly staring at him.

The nagging feeling came back full force as he realized the reason why he had noticed those features. Her eyes were big and round with little specks of golden and he was reminded of another person who had the same sparkling eyes and chubby cheeks.

He breathed in heavily and tried his best to focus even as he felt the shelves around him closing in, making him slightly claustrophobic.

"I suppose you're Lee Minho-ssi."

The woman's voice was gentle and little raspy and he really wanted to run away and never look back at her. He gave her what he assumed was a horrified expression as he struggled to find his voice.

Her lips trembled and she pushed something towards him, which he hadn't noticed on the table before.

"He wanted you to have it... It was his last wish."

Something broke inside of him and he didn't know if anyone else heard the deafening crash which pierced through his heart. He didn't even hear his mother's whimper as he glared at the plant in horror and hatred, it had a green stem with long green sepals around a linear cluster of small purple bell shaped flowers.

_This couldn't be happening. It was all a lie. She was lying._

He directed his glare towards the woman, his heart painfully throbbing in is chest as he tried to shout the words which came out as a whimper instead,

"Y-You're l-lying."

A look of raw pain flashed across her face as she dropped her head down and he numbly watched as a few tears fell down freely from her eyes.

His gaze went back to the flower and this time he was unable to peel his eyes away, feeling chained to the beauty and terror of the fragrant delicate looking flowers as he whispered to no one in particular.

"W-why?"

He didn't know who he was asking or what exactly was that he was asking. Why did Jisung leave him? Why was the boy snatched away from him after he just got him? Why did he send him this flower? Why was this happening to him? Why was is not him instead? Why? Why? _Why....._

He felt his knees buckle and he fell to the floor not even feeling the pain flare up his legs as he kept his eyes glued to the flower. His head was hurting badly and there was something stuck in his throat making it harder for him to breathe but worst of all was his chest. There was someone squeezing his heart in a deathly grip making his gasp as he clawed at it in a futile attempt to free it from whoever it was.

His mom's arms were around him in a second but this time he couldn't feel any warmth from the embrace. It was cold... It was _so so cold_ and he just wanted to get knocked out for a couple of hours or maybe days or rather years, anything to stop this unbearble pain. 

He didn't remember much after that but after what felt like hours of numbly staring at the horrifying flower he found himself bundled up in blankets on his bed. He looked down and wasn't surprised to see his hand defiantly holding on to that wretched thing.

Half of him wanted to crush the tiny flowers, stomp on them and burn the vicious thing but the other half of him, the one who dominated wanted to protect the delicate being, preserve it and keep it as his last memory of-

A strangled cry escaped his lips and that was what started the never ending cycle of tears and immense pain. He curled up on the bed, clutching the flower to his chest as he sobbed loudly in his room all alone, feeling as if someone ripped a part of him, and maybe someone did.

Sometime into his breakdown his mom had came in and tried her best to calm him down with gentle pats and soothing words and as much as he was touched by her concern, it did little to fill up the gaping hole in his heart which threatened to consume him. He felt so _empty_ , like there was something missing, something taken away from him and he didn't how to fill that space or of he ever could.

When there were no more tears left to shed he sniffled and buried his head into the pillows, trying to hide his face. He felt his mother's deft fingers gently carding through his hair as she softly whispered into the bleak silence of the night.

"Do you know this flower's name Minho-ah?"

He couldn't stop the sob which left his lips at that as he shook his head. _No he didn't._

"It's a Hyacinth plant and a-a purple one."

He hadn't heard that name before, curious he peeked up at his mom who was looking at him with kind eyes and a sad smile.

"Do you know what Purple Hyacinths mean?"

Again he shook his head and watched as the smile vanished from his mom's face.

_"I'm sorry."_

A dull paim settled betweent his ribs and he felt his heart break all over again as he whimpered and pressed his face into the sheets, trying to drown out his miserable cries. There was only so much a human heart could take before breaking apart completely.

**\-------**

No matter how much he tried to hate Han Jisung, he couldn't, not when he had found out that the boy had been slowly dying for years and not even when he found that everyone except him knew about the boy's terminal illness. Sure he had been angry at his mom but he knew that she was in no place to tell someone else's secret, it had been Jisung's to tell and he had chosen not to let Minho know. 

The boy had in every sense barged into his life, toppled him over and punched down the walls that Minho had built over years. He had came in like a bright ray of sunshine, lighting up his entire world and had dragged him out of the dark pit that he'd holed himself in. Jisung had forced him to open his eyes to the beauty around him and also within him, he had broken the bars of his self-made prison and showed him meaning in life.

Jisung had breathed his leftover life in Minho and he would be damned if he let it go to waste. The boy had wanted him to live and let go, he had glued back the broken pieces of Minho's heart and soul not for him to go ahead and let them break once again but for him to accept this second chance at life and not let the boy's efforts go to waste.

It had taken him almost a month to get used to empty feeling in his chest and deal with the pain of losing someone close to him yet again. His heart hadn't magically stopped aching but this time he embraced the feeling rather than fight against it. Everything hurt and stung but he wouldn't let it put him down, he'd use this pain to push him forward just like Jisung had wanted.

His friends were there with him throughout and he was grateful for the others who had wordlessly taken care of him and even provided a shoulder to cry on when he couldn't hold himself together. It didn't help that whenever he saw a flower he felt like sobbing nor did it help that he knew that he wouldn't ever be able to look at any flower without thinking about the boy but it was better this way. He didn't want to forget about Han Jisung, _never._

**\------**

He walked through the lush green grass, watching it dance in the chilly breeze as he made his way towards his destination. He felt a little bad for making the other wait for so long but he'd brought flowers to make up for it, hopefully they'll cheer up the sulking boy.

He glanced at the bouquet in his hand before looking back up as he spotted the other easily. Like the woman had told him, he was under the shade of a beautiful Kousa Dogwood tree which was topped with countless small white flowers giving it a snow caped look.

As soon as he was near enough Minho dropped down to one knee placing the bouquet down on the upturned soil as he guiltily muttered,

"Sorry it took me so long to come to you."

He read the headstone and barked out a laugh feeling his eyes prickle.

"Of course you'd get this written you annoying brat."

Gently tracing his fingers along the carved words his lips pulled into a sad but fond smile.

_Here lies the most handsome flower, Han Jisung._

  
Taking a look at the flowers that he had brought he shyly whispered, "I brought Zinnias and Cyclamens. They mea-"

He stopped talking as a hearty chuckle spilled from his mouth.

"How stupid of me. Of course you'd know what they mean."

Settling down crossed legged he started telling Jisung about Dori's progress in becoming the official baby of everyone in the household, even the meanie Doongi's. He told the other about the friends that he had made, even retelling stories of their stupid stunts and weird ideas of fun. Unable to help himself he lost himself in telling the other about everyone in detail as he felt a comfortable feeling settle between his ribs instead of the ever present pain. After such a long time he finally felt like the empty space in his heart was getting filled up by something warm and soothing and wanted to soak up that feeling as much as he could.

Only when the night slowly crept on them did Minho realize just how much time had passed by in the other's presence. Dusting his jeans he stood up only to wobble a little because of his numb legs making him laugh. He looked down at the boy's grave letting his eyes rest on it for some time as he tried to swallow past the lump in his throat.

"T-Thank you Jisung......... _for everything._ "

He forced his lips to pull up into a smile but felt wetness on his cheeks, surpised he lifted his hand up to touch his face only to find tears strolling down. Giving a wet chuckle he stumbled a few steps back wanting to bolt away and not let the boy see just how truly broken he felt inside when there was a sudden strong breeze which made him shut his eyes.

He felt something soft caress his face, startled he snapped his eyes open only to find himself staring at an ethereal sight. Under the fading light of the sunset was the heartbreaking view of numerous small white flowers fluttering to the ground like snow as they covered everything in their wake, lighting up the whole place with life even as they themselves were going to wither soon enough. Minho felt his breath stutter as he realized that this was exactly what the boy had done, he had breathed life into Minho even as he himself had faded from existence. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at the boy with a sad smile, finally understanding that ' _It had been the ephemeral beauty of Han Jisung just like these Fallin' Flowers.'_

**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who took out the time to read.....
> 
> Okay so there were three names that i didn't explain here (or i think there are three😅 feel free to point out if there was any i missed) 
> 
> Kousa Dogwood Tree (Korean Dogwood):  
> (Rebirth – The Dogwood flower is a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. It also signifies Purity. )
> 
> Zinnias:  
> (they mean "Absence of A Friend or Thinking about a friend who's not there anymore"  
> And yes they "friend" part is totally intended since Jisung to Minho was a friend....) 
> 
> Cyclamens:  
> ( they mean "lasting feelings or sincere affection" and it was because Minho's feelings towards Jisung even though not romantic were still sincere and mattered deeply. Not all strong feelings are due to romantic love.... Love comes in all forms :)


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